


Big Girls Cry

by orphan_account



Series: Lena [3]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-10-31 21:18:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10907661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Lena being turned into a child opened the eyes of the superfriends to the person hiding behind the mask that the CEO displayed for everyone. The event showed everyone that, underneath everything, Lena Luthor was someone who needed a family. And everyone was willing to give one to her.





	Big Girls Cry

Kara did not know what to do anymore. It had been two weeks since the week Lena had spent as a child and the younger Danvers still had not been able to talk to the Luthor about what she had witnessed. Although the blonde tried, the brunette repudiated all the conversations that suggested something about her behavior as a child.

Kara understood. It was painful for Lena. However, the blonde could not help feeling like the CEO did not trust her with that part of her life.

"Why don’t you want to talk about it?" Kara asked one night when she was in Lena's bed with the CEO. It was not too long since the Luthor heiress had invited her girlfriend to her penthouse for the first time, but since then it was quite common for Kara to sleep there, although Lena preferred the blonde's apartment for some reason that the younger Danvers was not able to decipher.

"Talk about what?" Lena pretended not to know what Kara meant, but the blonde was aware that the brunette knew perfectly well what the subject was.

"You know what, Lena." Kara sighed.

"Indeed, I know, but I have no desire to discuss it.” Lena closed her eyes as she spoke, looking suddenly exhausted. “Please, Kara, let's leave everything as it is."

"We're going to need to talk about this sometime."

"But not today. That's a part of me that I buried deep, Kara.” At last, Lena opened her eyes once more and looked into her girlfriend's blue eyes. “And believe me when I say some secrets are better left buried. That part of me...” She sighed. “It's not pretty."

Kara frowned, thoughtful for a moment, before holding Lena's face in her hands.

"When will you understand that what I want from you is not just the good parts? I want everything, the good and the bad. I want you, Lena."

For several minutes, Lena remained silent, her gaze far away. Kara was already beginning to think the brunette would not give her any answer, but before she could apologize for insisting so much on a subject the CEO obviously did not want to talk about, Lena spoke again.

"What do you want to talk about, specifically?" When she asked that question, Lena was no longer looking at Kara, and she looked nervous.

Although pleased that Lena was going to talk to her, there was no smile on Kara. Because that was a painful subject, something that would be cruel for Lena to remember. Still, the blonde needed to know. She wanted to know all of Lena, the good and the bad, as she said. The CEO knew all her secrets and she wanted Lena to trust her enough with hers.

"You were so afraid of everything, in a way you never are. I've seen you face armed robbers without even blinking, but that child...” Kara broke off, feeling unable to speak until she forced herself to continue. “She was so scared."

"You tend to be that way having Lillian Luthor as a mother." Lena shrugged.

"Has she ever hurt you?" Kara did not have to ask. She knew the answer. However, this was something she needed to hear Lena say.

"Psychologically? More times than I can count. You know that."

Being honest with herself, it frightened Kara the way Lena disregarded her own well-being. In her mind, the blonde wondered if this was another consequence of Lillian's actions.

"Physically." Kara answered several minutes later.

"I fell off the stairs once. At least that's what she told the doctor." Once again, Lena shrugged.

"She pushed you?" Kara's voice sounded broken and low. Internally, her two sides were conflicting. One wanted to hug Lena and comfort her and the other wanted to find Lillian and make her pay for what she had done.

In the end, she stayed there and brought Lena into her arms.

"Physical injuries were not something she used too often.” Lena then explained. “She always had a way with words, and everything she said to me during my life hurt so much more than the broken leg she'd stepped on."

"When did it start?" By now, Kara's voice was shaking and she tried not to let the tears stream down her face.

"Not long after my adoption.” Lena replied. “Lionel was almost never at home, he worked too much. Lillian made a point of keeping Lex busy with his studies, which left me alone with her very often.” She sighed.

After that, the CEO kept silent and Kara thought she would not go on. But when Lena spoke again, her voice was shaky and fragile in a way it had never been. Instinctively, National City's protector hugged her girlfriend harder, trying to give her some strength and comfort as Lena then continued to speak.

“It all started when she cut with a pair of scissors the teddy bear I had when I was adopted. It was the last gift I got from my birth mother and it was also the warning I needed to know that Lillian was someone I needed to be afraid of.” Lena explained. “After that, everything got worse. She always made a point of reminding me that I did not belong to that family and to make me as unhappy as I could be. And I couldn’t even cry about it, because she made sure I knew that Luthors didn’t cry and that there would be consequences if I disobeyed that rule.”

Kara was crying now, unable to contain herself. Lena, on the other hand, had not let a single tear slip, though her voice suggested a vulnerability the CEO had never been able to demonstrate.

“I'm sure there are many other things, but that's all I can tell you now." Lena said then and laid her head on Kara's shoulder, which hid her face in her girlfriend's dark hair.

There was nothing Kara could do to fix Lena's past, to erase the pain she knew the CEO felt, though hid well. All she could do was be there for Lena and make sure the brunette never got hurt again.

…

Alex stormed into Lena's office. At other times, this would probably be due to the agent's propensity to believe that the Luthor was guilty of something, but that day it was due to something Kara had said shortly before going to Metropolis, where Clark needed help to deal with a villain who called himself Darkseid.

The fact was, the day before, Lillian Luthor had ordered another murder on Lena. Kara managed to stop the killer from succeeding, but not before he could shoot the CEO. Being the stubborn human being she was, Lena demanded to be released from the hospital as soon as she woke up from the anesthesia of the surgery to remove the bullet, using the threat that she would buy the hospital and fire everyone in it. It was certainly something she could do, though no one who knew the Luthor well thought she was serious.

That's why Alex was angry. Because Lena was, right now, sitting behind her desk, _working_. Working as if she had not been shot the day before.

"Superman needed help in Metropolis and Kara went to help him, but not before telling me you were working. Obviously I thought you could not be that stupid, but I see that I was wrong." The agent spat the words, staring at the CEO, who just then raised her head to pay attention.

"Good morning, Agent Danvers." Lena smiled nonchalantly, as if Alex did not seem to be about to kill the first one in front of her.

"Don’t ‘Agent Danvers’ me.” Alex snapped impatiently. “What the hell are you thinking? You got shot yesterday. You shouldn’t even be out of the hospital, let alone working." She said between clenched teeth.

"If I take a vacation whenever one of my relatives tries to kill me, I will never work.” Lena shrugged, and Alex did not lose the way pain appeared in her face at the movement, even if it lasted only a moment. “Believe me when I say that L-Corp doesn’t run itself."

"Don’t think you're going to get away with this by using sarcasm.” The agent retorted. “Get your things. I'll take you home."

"With all due respect, Agent Danvers, you’re not my mother." Lena simply rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the contract she was reading before Alex stormed into her office.

"No, I'm not, because I'm sure your mother never bothered to keep you from working while you were injured or sick." Alex was aware that Lillian was a difficult matter for Lena and that perhaps she should not have said that, but right now all that mattered was to take the CEO home before she hurt herself any more.

Kara would kill her if Lena got injured, and since the incident in which Lena was turned into a child, Alex had become extremely protective of Luthor.

Lena, for her part, looked at Alex again.

"In fact, she encouraged me to do it. My dear mother said that I shouldn’t make excuses to escape my responsibilities.” Again, Lena rolled her eyes. “I was sick with pneumonia when I did my final college exams. A shot won’t stop me from working."

Alex's jaw clenched at that. Of course Lillian would not tolerate Lena being unable to do anything. Not for the first time, Alex wanted to know the woman's whereabouts so she could kill her or, at least, lock her forever in a small, uncomfortable cell.

"I'm not Lillian Luthor, thank God I’m not.” Finally, the agent retorted. “I'm not going to let you work while you should be resting. Get up before I lose my temper." She commanded angrily and impatiently.

"Do I have a choice?" Lena sighed and raised an eyebrow.

"No."

After Alex's reply, Lena finally sighed and got up, picking up her belongings before following the agent out of the office. The CEO gave Jess instructions on what to do in her absence and finally left L-Corp in the company of the older Danvers.

Alex then took Lena back to her house, where the agent had never been. There, the CEO invited her in and that was how Alex found herself in the vastness that was Lena Luthor's _penthouse_. It was certainly elegant and nicely decorated, but it all seemed extremely impersonal except for the huge bookshelf that occupied an entire wall.

"Did you take your medicine?" Alex asked as soon as she stopped examining the environment around her and saw the uncomfortable and painful expression on Lena's face.

"The drugs would make me lethargic, which is all I don’t need to run a multibillion-dollar company." Lena replied quietly straight away.

"What the hell, you idiot!” Alex snapped. After asking Lena where the pills were and picking them up, she brought them to the Luthor, accompanied by a glass of water. “Lena Luthor, swallow these pills, or God help me, I'll stick them in your throat." She ordered before Lena even had a chance to disagree.

"So much impatience, Agent Danvers." Lena rolled her eyes, but did as she was told.

"We've already talked about this." Alex stated.

"Alex, then.” Lena sighed. “You never allowed me to call you that. What caused the sudden change? Seeing me as a child?" She asked.

"Seeing you as a child opened my eyes to how quick I was to judge you, it's true." The agent shrugged.

"I don’t want your pity."

"It's not pity. I just realized that you're not just another Luthor. You’re different.”

"What gave me away? The obvious trauma and the constant fear?" Lena simply raised an eyebrow, seemly unfazed.

"You talk about it so naturally." Alex frowned.

"I had a life to get used to it. Don’t act like I'm the only person in the world to have family problems."

"Not being the only person to go through this doesn’t make what happened to you right. I saw a child in my kitchen who apologized for bleeding on my floor, for God's sake. Do you have any idea how fucked up that is?"

"Life isn’t perfect, Alex. Humans are able to get used to everything."

"You shouldn’t have to get used to that."

"But I did and that made me who I am today. I don’t regret that."

"Do you hate her? Lillian?" Alex asked before she could stop herself. It was something she wanted to know, for Lillian's actions over the years would surely make anyone hate her, but Lena did not seem to.

"How pathetic would I be if I said no?" Lena looked away as she asked.

"You love her, even after everything she has put you through.” Lena’s silence was confirmation enough. “That doesn’t make you pathetic. It just proves that you are a much better person than everyone gives you credit for. It proves you have a giant heart and that Kara has always been absolutely right about you."

The CEO seemed surprised by what she heard, and for a few minutes she remained silent. However, as soon as she recovered, she replaced the mask of indifference in her face.

"Let's not get sentimental now.” She joked and Alex chuckled. “I'm sleepy."

At the statement, she headed to the bedroom. Not knowing what to do, Alex followed her.

"I'll let you sleep. I’ll see you later, then." She said good-bye, and as she was about to leave, Lena's voice called her attention back to the CEO lying in bed.

"Before you go, Alex, go to that nightstand to take a black box out of the drawer.” She pointed to the nightstand on the opposite side of the bed. Confused, Alex did as she was told. “It should your birthday gift, but I suppose you need a new one as soon as possible, considering your job." Lena explained as Alex opened the box.

Inside the box was a gun unlike anything Alex had ever seen. She had lost her favorite one on a mission, and it seemed Lena had built a new one.

"Thank you, Lena.” Alex thanked her, but then realized that the CEO was already asleep. Then the agent allowed herself a small smile. “Sleep well, kid."

…

Winn usually did not have the opportunity to spend time with Lena, with the exception of game nights. Although the CEO was present in DEO with certain frequency, after all some problems required the help of the genius that was Lena Luthor, it was not always that Winn was able to work with her.

For that reason, he could not have been more excited when Lena arrived to help him develop something against the new Brainiac that had appeared. Although he had some experience due to Indigo, that was not enough to stop this new threat, which was why Lena had been called.

Even with her help, however, it had not been easy, which only served to make the victory much better when, at last, the virus created by the pair disintegrated the alien threat.

"We did it!" Winn screamed, and without much thought about it, he hugged Lena tightly. Almost immediately, the CEO went stiff, clearly unaccustomed to that kind of contact. Winn was already pulling away and opening his mouth to apologize when she hugged him back.

This made him very happy, because he knew that Lena was not used to having that kind of closeness to people. The only ones who could get so close to the Luthor heiress were Kara and, incredibly, now Alex. Winn could not believe how happy he was to finally get past this barrier built by his newest friend. Because, even if she did not quite believe it yet, he was her friend. And he would always be by her side when she needed it.

…

James was starting to get used to the galas he was supposed to go as Cat Grant's substitute. However, that did not mean he liked those events. So when Lena Luthor finally arrived, fashionably late, he saw in her an opportunity to make the night more bearable.

Although he had blindly suspected her at first, after the incident in which Lena had been turned into a child, James had approached the CEO of L-Corp. She was extremely different from what he had thought at the beginning, when all he expected was a female copy of Lex Luthor. In the end, they got along much better than he'd thought possible and he was glad she was now part of the superfriends.

Then, as soon as he had the opportunity to go where she was, he went.

"You don’t seem to be having fun, either." He commented as he approached Lena, who was indifferently looking around. She then looked at him and displayed a friendly smile.

"If there's anything I've learned in my years as a Luthor, it’s that these parties are not meant to be fun.” She explained. “The goal is to flatter white, rich, misogynist men who do not care about the cause they claim to be making money for."

"You're right about that.” James agreed. “How much longer do you intend to stay here?" He questioned, in search of some indication of when he himself might leave. He was not, after all, completely accustomed to expectations for a CEO.

"Just until my driver comes back to fetch me in fifteen minutes." Lena answered.

"You arrived ten minutes ago." James frowned, confused.

"Twenty-five minutes and fifty thousand dollars are more than enough to make me look polite, I suppose." Lena explained, and James could not help but laugh at her sarcastic remark.

"I suppose so.” He then agreed. “Do you want to go to the bar after we get out of here?” He suggested. “We can call everyone and have fun."

"That's certainly a much better way to spend the night.” Lena smiled. “I'll pay."

"You paid last time." He frowned.

"If I can’t spend a little money of a multibillion dollar fortune paying drinks for my friends, what am I going to spend it with?" The CEO of L-Corp shrugged, still smiling.

Maybe she did not realize it, but that was the first time James had heard her call them friends. Apparently, Lena was finally warming up to them, which was extremely positive. Lena Luthor, more than anyone, deserved a family that loved her and supported her. And Kara was not the only one who was willing to give this to her.

…

Maggie did not know she could miss the child that Lena Luthor had been, the one the detective had taken care of for a week, so much, and looking at Lena at that moment seemed like a painful reminder of that little girl.

Because Lena looked cruelly exhausted. It was game night, and Winn and James had been busy with Guardian. Not long afterward, Alex and Kara were called to the DEO, leaving Maggie and Lena alone, the CEO seeming to be almost falling asleep.

"Are you okay, Little Luthor?" She asked then. At first, Lena would stiffen whenever Maggie called her that, but that only lasted until the detective made it clear that there was no negative implication in the nickname.

"I'm just a little tired." Lena replied, but her shoulders slumped and the way she seemed to struggle to keep her eyes open denounced her lie.

"If you're tired, you shouldn’t have come, Little Luthor.” Maggie scolded, again seeing the frail and frightened child she had taken care of in the CEO. “No one would be upset with you. Winn and James didn’t come either and Danvers and Little Danvers had to leave. It wouldn’t be a problem.”

"I suppose you don’t want my company then." Lena joked, but her state prevented Maggie from seeing any humor in it.

"Little Danvers is worried about you." The detective stated.

"She always seems to be worried about me." The CEO sighed.

"She said you've been working too hard. That's not good for you." Again, Maggie scolded. Alex was not the only one who had taken on her duty to care for Lena, which was something the brunette obviously needed.

"I'm a workaholic, I've been my whole life.” Lena simply shrugged. “Don't worry about me."

"The fact that you just admitted to being a workaholic certainly gives me more cause for concern.” Maggie frowned. “How long has it been since the last time you slept?"

"Some time." Maggie pursed her lips at Lena's response.

"Come here.” Lena looked at Maggie in surprise at the detective's order, and reluctantly approached her. Maggie then forced her to lie down with her head resting on the detective's legs, and the Sawyer then began to play with the Luthor’s dark hair. “The Danvers sisters will be gone for a while. You may as well take a nap." The detective explained.

"I won’t leave you alone while I sleep. I'm fine." Lena tried to get up but was stopped by Maggie.

"I'm a detective. You can’t lie to me.” Maggie stated. “Just sleep, you're not going to gain anything by arguing with me."

Lena sighed, but saw no reason to resist. She closed her eyes and, a few minutes later, was asleep.

When Alex and Kara finally returned, hours later, they found both their girlfriends asleep on the couch. Considering how Maggie and Lena had met, with the detective arresting the CEO, it was hard to believe that the two of them got along so well, but it was good to know that their girlfriends were good friends.

…

Eliza was happy that her daughters had come to visit. It was Mother's Day, after all, and it was important to spend that day with the two most important people in her life. And apparently both Alex and Kara thought it was a good idea to bring their girlfriends.

Eliza was not against it. She was, indeed, very happy that her daughters were in love and happy. Maggie had been easy to talk to, but Lena was infinitely more reserved, and it was not until Kara explained to her foster mother how much her girlfriend was unsure about Eliza's reaction to her surname, that the matriarch Danvers realized why.

Then, as the other three visitors washed the dishes, Eliza took the opportunity to approach Lena.

"Kara told me about your insecurities regarding your last name. I just need you to know that I don’t judge you. Anyone who can make that ray of sunshine smile like that cannot be bad." She clarified before pulling Lena into a hug, which the brunette took a few minutes to reciprocate.

Eliza would never judge anyone for the crimes of their family and, though cautious before meeting Lena, she had realized that the CEO wanted nothing more than to make Kara happy. It was something they had in common.

And for all she knew, a mother was something Lena needed. As long as the CEO made Kara smiled the way she had all day, Eliza would be happy to be that for her.

…

J'onn was not too close to Lena. He greeted the CEO on her occasional visits to the DEO, but he did not have much more contact with her than that.

Despite this, he liked Lena. What he had seen in her mind should be enough to turn anyone into a bitter and hateful person, but Lena had overcome what Lillian had done to her and became a strong, generous and brilliant person who wanted only to do good. So J'onn admired her, though he had never made it clear to her.

All he did, then, was watch. He watched mainly the interactions of Lena and Kara. The two were obviously in love, and being honest with himself, he would not be surprised the day one of them asked the other in marriage.

So there was no shock when Lena came to ask for his permission to propose to Kara. It was an old concept for mankind, to ask permission from the paternal figure to marry, but it looked like a custom Lena was insisting on. And that only made J'onn like her more.

Then, after making the CEO promise to take good care of Kara, though he had no doubt she would do just that, J'onn nodded and watched with satisfaction the smile that spread across the brunette's face.

Apparently, he now had another daughter to look after.

…

Kara was quite excited for Lena's surprise birthday party. After coaxing Jess to reveal the CEO's birthday, Kara had gathered all her friends and organized the party at Lena's house. There was not even the problem of the brunette finding out, after all the Luthor worked all day.

So when Lena arrived at her penthouse that night after a long day at work, she watched in shock as her friends and girlfriend shouted "Surprise!". Around her, the living room was completely decorated.

"What's going on here?" She asked confused.

Kara practically jumped at the CEO, hugging her as tightly as possible without breaking her.

"Don’t tell me you don’t remember what day is today." The blonde joked.

"Friday?" Lena frowned, truly confused.

"Lena." Kara frowned.

"Am I forgetting any holiday or someone's birthday?" The CEO asked nervously.

"Yes, you're forgetting _your_ birthday." Kara was clearly upset at that.

"My... Birthday?” Lena seemed genuinely surprised. “Of course, my birthday. But what’s all this?" She asked, looking around.

"We made a surprise party for you." The answer came from Alex, who was watching from a distance. Like Kara, she did not seem pleased either that Lena had forgotten her own birthday.

"It seems so." Lena said, still looking around. Her eyes, however, began to shine with restrained tears. Kara was alarmed.

“You didn’t like it?" The blonde asked in panic.

"Of course I like it, I just...” Lena sighed. “Please, give me a minute. I'll be right back."

Then she went to her room without waiting for anyone's answer. For several minutes, everyone in the room remained in silence, which was not broken until Kara declared that she would check if her girlfriend was okay.

Arriving in the bedroom, Kara found what she least wanted to see. Lena was crying like she had never done before, tears streaming copiously and sobs escaping her without restraint.

"I didn’t mean to upset you." Kara stated as she sat down next to Lena on the bed.

"I'm not upset." The CEO replied, although she still cried.

"Then why are you crying?" Kara asked, unconvinced by what Lena had said.

"Because no one has ever done anything like this to me before." Lena's reply broke Kara's heart.

"Haven’t you ever celebrated your birthday?" The blonde frowned.

"Birthdays have never been very important to the Luthors, so this date has been just another common day for me since I was 4. I also don’t think Lillian would want to celebrate the day I was born. I even think this is the day she despises the most." Lena sighed.

"But now you have people who want to celebrate that day with you. We all love you, Lena. We just want to see you happy."

"I know. Thank you, Kara." At that, Lena hugged Kara, who then kissed her forehead.

"No need to thank.” The reporter assured. “Do you want to go back to the party, or do you want me to tell everyone you don’t want to celebrate?"

"Let's go back there.” Lena stated, getting up. She then wiped the tears from her face. “Mother would be so angry if she knew I was crying. Luthors do not cry at all.” She commented, a sad smile on her lips.

“You're not just a Luthor.” Kara stated. “You're Lena. You can cry if you want to. No one will judge you for it.”

“I know.” Lena sighed. “I love you, Kara.” She stated, approaching her girlfriend to, then, kiss her quickly on the lips.

“I love you, Lena.” Kara replied as the two separated, smiling at the brunette in front of her.

So they went back there and, for the first time in years, Lena celebrated her birthday. Around her were everyone she cared about. Kara, Alex, Maggie, Winn, James, Eliza, J'onn, Jess. There was nothing else she wanted. So when Kara asked what she asked for when blowing out the candles, her response was simple:

"Nothing, I already have what I want." Lena said, relaxing more in her girlfriend's embrace as she looked around.

She now had a family. A true family that loved and cherished her. It was everything she had ever asked for.

She felt happy.

**Author's Note:**

> I intended to post this earlier, but with Mother's Day, I didn't exactly have time.  
> I don't know if you noticed, but I'm only getting around here on weekends. School is killing me, to be honest. I also won't be able to update Just My Luck and Love Defined today because, as I said, it's Mother's Day yet and I don't have much time. I'll just try to respond to your comments, which I neglected.  
> Well, I really hope you enjoyed what you read. Please comment, leave kudos or I don't know. Tell me what you think.  
> See ya!


End file.
